Tangy and delicious, BBQ Beans with Beef is an easy stovetop meal that you can have on the table in under thirty minutes. Simple ingredients and easy prep make this quick recipe using ground beef and beans a great option for a busy night. Serve it with a salad and hot, buttered cornbread with whole corn for a complete meal.
Ingredients
- ground beef
- chopped onion
- barbecue sauce
- chili sauce (like Heinz brand)
- canned black beans
- canned red or pink beans
- canned dark red kidney beans
- Worcestershire sauce
- liquid smoke
- grape jelly
- tomato paste
- salt & pepper
- garlic salt
- Sliced green onions or chopped fresh parsley for garnish, optional
See recipe card for ingredients.
Instructions
If you have cooked ground beef and onion in your freezer stock this can be made with virtually no prep. No idea what I'm talking about? Learn how I take the stress out of family dinners.
Quick and easy recipes like this one combined with preparing ingredients like ground beef (or mince) and sautéed onion means meal time is less messy and much quicker.
If you don't have cooked ground beef and onion prepared, cook the ground beef and onion together in a pot or extra large skillet until beef is browned and onion is tender. Drain if necessary. Add chili sauce, barbecue sauce, tomato paste, and grape jelly.
Heat, stirring gently, until jelly is melted and everything is well mixed. Drain and rinse all beans and add to pan. Add the liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and garlic salt to the pan with the ground beef, beans and onion. Mix well and simmer for 20 minutes.
Serve over white rice or with cornbread and garnish with parsley or green onion slices if desired.
Variations
- Spicy. For a spicer result, add some Sriracha sauce or use a spicy chili sauce in place of the Heinz style chili sauce. You can also add a chopped jalapeño or two to the ground beef and onion at the beginning and serve crispy jalapeños as a garnish.
- Vegetarian. Replace the meat with either a plant-based ground or two more cans of beans (either more of the same kinds or add pinto beans, chili beans, or cannellini beans).
- Pinto beans. You can substitute other beans in this easy stovetop meal. Pinto beans work well, and baked beans can also be used. If using baked beans, you may need to cut back on the grape jelly and barbecue sauce since baked beans are already sweetened.
FAQ
What meat goes well with beans?
Ground beef or top round steak can be used in beef and beans recipes. If using ground beef/hamburger meat, brown it before adding it to the recipe. If using top round steak, cut the beef into ½" cubes, then brown and add to the recipe.
What are good sides to go with beans?
This chuck wagon-style beef and beans recipe goes well with rice or cornbread. Add a side salad for a complete meal.
What can you replace ground beef with?
Beef and Beans can easily become a vegetarian meal by either substituting a plant-based ground such as Beyond ground or by substituting more beans for the ground beef (replace the meat with two more cans of beans (either more of the same kinds or add pinto beans, chili beans, or cannellini beans).
What is Chuck Wagon Beef and Beans?
A chuck wagon was a covered wagon used as a field kitchen in wagon trains used by cowboys and settlers traveling across the plains. Food staples included easy-to-reserve items such as salted beef, beans, molasses, and coffee. An authentic chuck wagon stew recipe for the nineteenth century would have included no fresh ingredients unless they were gathered on the trail, instead relying on salted meat and dried beans. The stew would probably have been served with sourdough biscuits.
While this is not an authentic chuck wagon recipe, it is a lot easier and tastier due to the use of canned beans and tasty sauces in jars.
Recipe
BBQ Beans with Beef (30 Minutes)
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 18 ounces barbecue sauce
- 12 ounces chili sauce, like Heinz
- 15.5 ounces black beans, canned
- 15.5 ounces red or pink beans, canned
- 15.5 ounces dark red kidney beans, canned
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke
- ¼ cup grape jelly
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- sliced green onions or chopped fresh parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Chop 1 large onion.
- Cook 1 pound ground beef and onion together in a pot or extra large skillet until beef is browned and onion is tender.
- Drain if necessary.
- Add 12 ounces chili sauce, 18 ounces barbecue sauce, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, and ¼ cup grape jelly.
- Heat, stirring gently, until jelly is melted and everything is well mixed.
- Drain and rinse 15.5 ounces black beans, 15.5 ounces red or pink beans, and 15.5 ounces dark red kidney beans and add to pan.
- Season with 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and ½ teaspoon garlic salt.
- Mix well and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Serve over white rice or with cornbread and garnish with sliced green onions or chopped fresh parsley for garnish.
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